That time is again upon us for chips and beer, hilarious commercials, and controversial half time shows, as we prepare for Super Bowl XLV between the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers, As a Dallas denizen, we hear an awful lot of Super Bowl buzz. It's great for the local economy and even parking spaces near the stadium are going for as much as $500 each! 

With all the Super Bowl hype, I can't help but think about all the hard work it takes to get there, teamwork in particular. Not one team would be in the Super Bowl as a result of a single player alone, it's the joining of spirits and minds of all the players towards a common goal that takes the teams there. When my mentor, Rhonda Shasteen, and I talk about the team dynamic in our mentoring sessions, she always stresses the importance of working with your team and leaning on each others unique experience to achieve the end goal.

Rhonda also highlights from time to time that those team members out there with personal agendas don't really get ahead in the end. People know when a co-worker has an agenda, and they don't support it. Unfortunately that can be to the detriment of the team and your projects.

As we approach this year's Super Bowl, I challenge us all to stop on occasion and reflect in self-awareness, to see if we're doing everything we can to support our teams and the team's goals just like those players in the game. Your team can be work work team, family team, sports team, or volunteer team. You may realize you need to adjust and self-improve a bit, or you may be doing everything you can think of to help your team. If you aren't sure, find someone you trust to ask. Using others for sounding boards is a sure fire way to gain insights into the things you may not be able to or necessarily want to see about yourself.

Go Steelers, and may the best team win!